Andrea Hollinghurst. Dip.Couns. Reg MBACP

About me

Welcome to my profile; if you are reading this you are probably deciding whether counselling is an option for you. Contact me (email) in confidence and we can talk through what is worrying you and you can then decide whether you would like to come for counselling.

Why Counselling?

There are times when life today can seem very complicated and confusing, when it feels like we’ve lost our way and don’t know where we are going. We may find that coping strategies which have served us up to now are no longer working and we just can’t go on the way we are. Perhaps we are depressed and nothing seems to make us feel any better.

I know how daunting taking that first step can be so I hope that my website will help to alleviate your fears of what counselling is. Sometimes we can struggle in life with some quite minor and major issues and here are some of the signs which might indicate that talking to a counsellor can help:

Not being able to get to sleep, waking in the night time or sleeping badly.

Feeling anxious constantly.

Feeling like you can't concentrate on anything.

Feeling irritable with friends and family.

Feeling unhappy about your life, but feeling unable to pinpoint exactly what it is that is making you feel this way.

Having no-one to talk to despite having family and friends around.

Feeling like you find yourself daydreaming lots and that you are missing things and cannot remember what you did 5 minutes ago.

Feeling angry at everyone but you don't know why.

Starting diets, hobbies and other self-improvement programmes but feeling unable to stick to them despite your best efforts.

Feeling lost and alone despite being in a relationship.

Not liking yourself and feeling like you are dragging yourself around, not wanting to take care of yourself.

Feeling like you cannot maintain friendships or relationships.

Unable to escape bad marriages, jobs and abuse.

You have experienced a loss or bereavement and cannot move on.

Feeling bullied at work but are unable to tell anyone.

If you are experiencing any of these signs or emotions then it may indicate that talking to a good Counsellor will help.

As your Counsellor I will help you to:

Explore your feelings and problems which are worrying you.

Help you to improve communications within your relationships with friends and family.

Listen to you without judgement.

Will offer you honesty, empathy and value you as a person.

Help you to identify what you need to bring about change in your life.

Help you to move on from bad relationships, marriage and unfulfilling jobs.

Develop knowledge, skills and identify new options that may be open to you.

What is Counselling?

Friends and family can often help. But if you feel the need for someone who has no other role in your life, a Counsellor can help you explore, in confidence, the issues that are worrying you. I will not judge you or tell you what to do but will respect you as an individual and encourage you to find your own solutions so that you can move on with your life. People come to counselling for all sorts of reasons. Some examples might be stress and anxiety, relationship difficulties, abuse, low self-esteem, living with illness or disability, loss, addictions, substance misuse, depression, anger, insomnia, eating disorders, mid-life crisis, spiritual concerns, workplace problems and issues from childhood.

But …. You don’t have to bring a particular problem. Often just feeling troubled or ill at ease with yourself can affect many aspects of your life and it helps to talk things through. Therapy may lead you on a journey of inner discovery, in which you come to accept yourself and live in a more fulfilling way.

Please call me in confidence or email and give it a try - the first 30 minute initial session is free (see below).

Training, qualifications & experience

About Me

I am a fully qualified Counsellor, I am BACP registered and I work in a Person-Centred way; valuing you as a person, trying, like all of us, to live a fulfilling and authentic life as free as possible from suffering. As your Counsellor I will offer confidentiality and non-judgemental respect, honesty and empathy so that I may experience your world. I work in a safe and confidential space within my home in Horwich, Bolton; it is also ground floor so is disabled friendly.

I also work independently in GP surgeries, hospices, hospitals and schools.

I have worked extensively with children, adolescents and adults for around 20 years, initially for the Local Authority and later within the NHS voluntary sector. Having worked most recently in Palliative/ End of Life Care I feel that I am able to fully appreciate the sensitivity and suffering that families may experience when a loved one receives bad news, has a cancer or a terminal diagnosis. I wish to reassure anyone who wishes to come to see me that I will try and ensure that you feel supported, non-judged and comfortable to bring whatever issues you may wish to discuss.

I am also a registered member of BICA (British Infertility Counselling Association) and work with individuals and couples who are experiencing infertility/fertility problems and obstetric/gynaecological issues, including medical termination, stillbirth and early pregnancy concerns.

As a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy I am subject to their code of ethics, complaints procedures and requirements for continuing professional development and supervision, and attend regular training and workshops on therapy related subjects. I am also a member of the Health Care Professionals Council and am DBS checked.

From my experience of working with children and via training with Cruse (National Bereavement Organisation) I am able to offer emotional and psychological support to children and have worked with children in areas of: grief and loss, pre-bereavement and bereavement work, peer and school issues, identity and Family issues and have worked in a number of settings including schools(supporting teachers and children in school; DBS verified), Hospices and hospitals.

Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (Level 4). Preston Colleges.

ABC Level 3 in Counselling Skills.

Diploma in Social Work. University of Salford.

Aggression & Violence in the Work Place. (SAC Uk).

Certificate in Drug Awareness Studies. (NCFE).•

Supporting Children around Bereavement and Loss (Cruse & Various Courses).•

Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)